Feb 7th 6pm - Demonstrate against the Lambeth council budget

[Gramsci]

This is article from Greece is relevant here. In particular this quote:

The democratic deficit of our political system is evident and dramatic. In the Greek case, manifesto promises of the government before the last elections were comprehensively broken. No consent has been sought or given to the various measures that are destroying the post-war social bond. These measures have led to the surrender of national sovereignty to a motley crew of international bankers and deluded Eurocrats and the demotion of parliament to the position of a multinational company's local branch executing the orders of the headquarters. In all these senses, Greece is in a state of emergency ruled by the diktat of foreign powers.

A legitimation crisis results from much more than isolated acts of disobedience. It arises when the political system can no longer generate acceptance of its basic policies and principles and has to resort to open coercion, ideological manipulation or lies to keep the population in line.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/07/greece-protest-democracy-government

 

[Gramsci]

Great photos Ed

 

[Mairead]

People First Lambeth are a truly great organisation which it would be a tragedy to lose - any ideas greatly appreciated.

 

[Belushi]

That cunt Steve Reeds take on last nights demo Labour face down extremists to set a budget based on need

 

[Blagsta]

Incredible that be blames the left and not the tories or lib dems.

 

[editor]

That cunt Steve Reeds take on last nights demo Labour face down extremists to set a budget based on need

What planet is he on?

At the cabinet meeting held in public in the town hall the expected crowd of hard-left protestors turned up. At their front was Ted Knight, the man who led Lambeth into disaster in the 1980s when his council set an illegal budget in response to that decade’s wave of Tory cuts. Knight’s policy left the council millions of pounds in debt, made Labour unelectable in much of Lambeth for over a decade, but worst of all bought our council to its knees as it finally resulted in even worse service cuts that hit the poorest, the weakest and most vulnerable hardest of all. The policy was an unmitigated disaster. But Ted Knight and his hard-left acolytes were back in the town hall last night screaming for a re-run of their 1980s horror show.

Those people no longer hold any sway in the Labour Party. *Many of the protesters were from far-left groups with names like Workers Liberty, Permanent Revolution and Socialist Workers. When they put up their own candidates in elections they get derisory numbers of votes. Electorally they are irrelevant, but they are very good at waving placards, shouting abuse, and impugning the integrity of everyone around them while shrieking like valkyries if anyone dares question them back.**

 

[Streatham_Mao]

That cunt Steve Reeds take on last nights demo Labour face down extremists to set a budget based on need

Why do my instincts tell me that most of the people there won't have been part of 'far-left' groups?

And can anyone there say if he was right about them taking over?

In my experience, recent anti-cuts demos are angry people with assorted groups riding on the fringes.

 

[Streatham_Mao]

Incredible that be blames the left and not the tories or lib dems.

'New' Labour and 'Labour' are not the same things - one just wears the others' skin.

 

[editor]

Why do my instincts tell me that most of the people there won't have been part of 'far-left' groups?

And can anyone there say if he was right about them taking over?

In my experience, recent anti-cuts demos are angry people with assorted groups riding on the fringes.

My neighbour was there with her two kids, my friends were there, half the Albert was there and none of them would fit his "hard left" put down.

Decidedly left leaning, for sure, but if being 'hard left' is not wanting public services slashed, park rangers abolished and crossing ladies kicked out, then I'm a "far lefty" too.

 

[Belushi]

Why do my instincts tell me that most of the people there won't have been part of 'far-left' groups?

Yup, it was mostly Librarians, Park Rangers, parents with kids wanting to keep the playgrounds open etc.

 

[Belushi]

In my experience, recent anti-cuts demos are angry people with assorted groups riding on the fringes.

Thats precisely what it was.

 

[netbob]

Council Leader's take on it:

Labour faces down the extremists to set a budget based on need

http://cllrstevereed.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/labour-sets-budget/

 

[Pickman's model]

That cunt Steve Reeds take on last nights demo Labour face down extremists to set a budget based on need

that cunt steve reed and the rest of his foul cabinet - especially the little boy in charge of children's services, kept up past his bedtime last night - should have resigned if they had an ounce of decency instead of passing such a savage budget.

 

[Pickman's model]

More here: http://www.urban75.org/blog/brixton-anti-cuts-demo-outside-lambeth-town-hall-feb-7th-2011/

you've got me in several of your pictures

 

[One_Stop_Shop]

Report from SOS website:

http://lambethsaveourservices.org/

I think 250 is about right, what do others think?

I spoke from housing (badly lol!), thought it was a great mix of people. Union members, tenants, residents, service users, to say everyone was from the far left was total nonsense. Great people occupied the street. Inside the Labour councillors were dismissive and sneering.

 

[One_Stop_Shop]

that cunt steve reed and the rest of his foul cabinet - especially the little boy in charge of children's services, kept up past his bedtime last night - should have resigned if they had an ounce of decency instead of passing such a savage budget.

That's the CYPS cabinet member. He was one of the worst. Laughing and sneering at the tenant and union speakers.

Which one are you in the pictures?

 

[Belushi]

It couldnt have been less than 250.

 

[Pickman's model]

That's the CYPS cabinet member. He was one of the worst. Laughing and sneering at the tenant and union speakers.

he's not too old to go across his mother's knee and get the spanking he so richly deserves

Which one are you in the pictures?

the most handsome one.

 

[linerider]

you've got me in several of your pictures

He got me in some as well,I'm the ugly one. : )

 

[Plumdaff]

Other half's in them, unfortunately I couldn't get away from work.

Just when I think Reed can't be more of a venal, opportunist, slimy cunt.....that article...un-fuck-ing believable. It's now "hard left" to defend lollipop ladies and the disabled

 

[Blagsta]

I see my comment on Reed's site was deleted.

 

[Pickman's model]

here's my comment, lest the great man take it down:

Steve Reed's recollection of the meeting is considerably at odds with mine. But the internal evidence of his post indicates the mental gymnatics he's had to make. Take, for example, the bit about the hard left being hidden among people genuinely worried about the future of their services. Outside the meeting people like Ted Knight shared the microphone and addressed the rally beside children, service users and workers. Inside the meeting the people who addressed the Cabinet were sat at the front and were in no way 'hidden'. Simply put, a mixture of people, of all ages and a wide range of backgrounds, some socialist and some not, raised sound objections to the course Mr Reed and his associates had decided. Mr Reed makes it sound like the Trots were using Lambeth residents as human shields. Which is absolutely ludicrous.

At the meeting, Mr Reed declared that inner city areas - areas which don't vote Tory, in his words - were facing the most savage cuts and that Tory areas were getting off lighter. The suggestion is that everywhere should be treated equally. It's not a huge jump from everywhere being treated equally to everyone being treated equally. But Mr Reed clearly believes this should not be the case. People who no longer hold any sway in the Labour party are, he says, electorally irrelevant. Perhaps he means irrelevant in that they are unable to muster votes. But his behaviour, both last night and in the blog above, says to me that he means electorally irrelevant in that their views need be of no account. More, to me he means that the people who took the time and trouble to apply to address the meeting, who spoke eloquently against the cuts, and who are not members of the Labour party (only its natural constituency) can safely be ignored by his administration.

Mr Reed said several times that he would respond to the points raised by those who addressed the Cabinet meeting. Yet I saw none of that. After people had finished speaking there was a quick vote and within five minutes £37m of cuts had been made, and without Mr Reed even having the courtesy to respond to those of his constituents who had spoken to him.

I'm not a resident of Lambeth, and I'm not a member of any political party. I'd never even heard of Steve Reed before yesterday. But I'm unlikely to forget what a shower he and his cabinet are.

 

[editor]

I'm not a resident of Lambeth, and I'm not a member of any political party. I'd never even heard of Steve Reed before yesterday. But I'm unlikely to forget what a shower he and his cabinet are.

I've asked him via Twitter.

Seeing as urban75 is quite probably the widest read Brixton related website, I'm sure he'll take the time to answer.

 

[Tricky Skills]

And here's the take on the meetings from Alastair Campbell's right hand (VERY right hand) man, Cllr Bennett.

 

[Plumdaff]

And here's the take on the meetings from Alastair Campbell's right hand (VERY right hand) man, Cllr Bennett.

It's truly astonishing that he takes the opportunity to pat himself on the back about how wondrous Lambeth Labour are after voting through £37 million of cuts. No consideration of how this will affect people, no commiseration and regret for the jobs and services that will disappear (odd, if they were crying thinking about having to do this, don't you think?) just a dig at Livingstone and Lee Jasper which seems to imply the writer thinks it would be reasonable to remove London government from such dangerous lefties again.

Both blog posts are perfect exhibits A and B about how Labour lost its soul to the arrogant, apolitical drones.

 

[Belushi]

Ha! I see that weasel Reed has backed down a bit and changed the title of his blog post The ghosts of the past return as Lib Dem-Tories cut Lambeths funding

My comment still hasn't been moderated though.

 

[One_Stop_Shop]

I thought Bill Modlock from the GMB made his points with compassion and integrity, whereas yours were inappropriate.

This isn't the same GMB branch that has just pulled an industrial action ballot in Lambeth Living without even consulting their members. I think it is!

 

[Onket]

I was surprised to see GMB banners at the demo actually, considering that^

 

[Tricky Skills]

I wonder if Cllr Reed will be offering the same insightful piece on his blog following his appearance at the Standards Sub-Committee next week? He is answering a charge in relation to the defection of ex-Cllr Betty Evans-Jacas from Nu Labour. The specifics of the charge relate to personal financial information about the previous Cllr that Cllr Reed then published on his blog.

Cllr Robbins wasn't called to the Standards Sub-Committee after he apologised for calling the ex-Cllr a "scab" on twitter [tweet long since deleted...]

If the Standards Sub-Committee rule that the Council's Standards policy has been breached, Cllr Reed is facing a ban from public office.

 

[Pickman's model]

If the Standards Sub-Committee rule that the Council's Standards policy has been breached, Cllr Reed is facing a ban from public office.

i do hope so.